PARIS — Dec. 22, 2016—Viaccess-Orca, a global leader in the protection and enhancement of content services, announced today that it has joined forces with a number of industry specialists to bring the most comprehensive and robust premium 360-degree video solution in virtual reality (VR) to CES 2017. Pre-integrating technologies and services from Tiledmedia, Harmonic, and Digital Immersion, Viaccess-Orca’s Virtual Arena solution sets a new standard for immersive experiences. Designed to dramatically improve video quality while maximizing bandwidth efficiency, the best-of-breed solution enables a wide range of monetization options, thereby addressing the most critical challenges faced by the nascent VR premium content industry.

“Most VR streaming solutions transport 360-degree video to the head-mounted device with low perceptual quality, or require too much bandwidth. Adding the requirement for best-in-class security makes distribution of high-quality VR content even more complex,” said Rob Koenen, Founder and Chief Business Development Officer at Tiledmedia. “Combining Tiled VR Streaming and the Connected Sentinel Player provides service providers with a superior approach to delivering high-quality, secure content at realistic and affordable bitrates.”

Tiledmedia's patented Tiled VR Streaming technology enablesVR streamingwith five times the resolution of other solutions, at comparable bitrates, over today’s networks using existing devices. Tiledmedia’s solution streams only the part of the image that is in a user’s actual viewport — a fraction of the total video — with the highest resolution, allowing extremely fast and affordable transport. Suitable for delivery of on-demand and live services over existing CDNs, Tiled VR Streaming works with any display device, including head-mounted displays, phones, and tablets.

Tiledmedia’s Tiled VR Streaming has been integrated with Viaccess-Orca’sConnected Sentinel Playerfor secure playback. Viaccess-Orca’s downloadable, secure player SDK protects VOD and live VR content on various devices, enabling service providers to rapidly comply with the security requirements of content owners. Connected Sentinel Player is available with Microsoft®PlayReady®, Widevine, or with Viaccess-Orca’s proprietary DRM, and know by all major Hollywood studios.

The combined Tiledmedia VR Streaming and Connected Sentinel Player offers an advanced playback infrastructure for Viaccess-Orca’s end-to-end Virtual Arena solution, which also features technology and services from Digital Immersion, a specialist in the filming and post-production of 360-degree video; and Harmonic, the industry leader in video compression and delivery.

“When it comes to immersive experiences, video quality is at the top of viewers’ checklists,” said Thierry Fautier, Vice President, Video Strategy at Harmonic. “Harmonic is proud to join Viaccess-Orca and its partners in bringing the highest possible video quality to the VR experience. Our technology provides advanced media processing, transcoding, media server, and workflow systems for video compression, encryption, and streaming.”

“Our goal is to provide consumers with a compelling, immersive viewing experience and enable monetization options for service providers, including through content protection such as DRM and advanced analytics,” said Alain Nochimowski, EVP of Innovation, Viaccess-Orca. “Combining state-of-the-art technologies into a best-of-breed solution will unleash content creativity and majorly increase the audience that can be reached with VR services, while ensuring today’s investments remain future-proof. We’re thrilled to be at the frontier of engaging audiences with superior quality, 360-degree content on a wide range of device types.”

Viaccess-Orca will demonstrate the integration of Tiledmedia VR Streaming in its Connected Sentinel Player at CES 2017, Jan. 5-8, in Las Vegas. Attendees can request a demonstration by contactingmarketing@viaccess-orca.com.

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About Viaccess-Orca

As a leading global provider of content protection, delivery, and discovery solutions, Viaccess-Orca is shaping the ultimate content experience. Through its integrated range of business-savvy products and solutions, Viaccess-Orca helps service providers in the cable, DTT, satellite, IPTV, and OTT industries gain a competitive edge in today’s rapidly evolving multiscreen environment. By enabling service providers to securely deliver an engaging user experience on any device, Viaccess-Orca is reinventing the entertainment landscape. Viaccess-Orca is part of the Orange Group. For more information, visit www.viaccess-orca.com or follow the company on Twitter@ViaccessOrcaandLinkedin.